Life After Weight Loss Surgery is “Easier and Better” for Norha Valencia

Norha Valencia can’t imagine what her life would be like if she had not chosen to have bariatric surgery. “In just six months, my life changed so much,” she said. “Everything has gotten easier, better and safer.”

“When Norha came to see me she weighed 224 pounds and complained of being tired all of the time, having a lack of energy and feeling heavy,” says Ana Pena, MD, Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital General & Bariatric Surgeon. “She was very concerned about a recent diagnosis of pre-diabetes.”

With a family history of diabetes, Norha was eager to learn what she could do to reduce her risk of getting the disease. “I have a 17-year-old daughter and wanted to make sure I was around for her,” she says.

Norha was surprised to learn she was a candidate for weight loss surgery – her Body Mass Index (BMI) was over 35 and she had an obesity-related health condition. (Other criteria include: being 100-plus pounds over your ideal body weight; having a BMI more than 40; and being unable to achieve a healthy body weight, even with medically-supervised dieting.

“I didn’t realize I had met the criteria some time ago,” she says. “If I had known, I would have had the surgery at least 10 years ago.”

“In just six months, my life changed so much. Everything has gotten easier, better and safer.”

After discussing the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery with Dr. Pena, Norha elected to have a minimally invasive sleeve gastrectomy. With gastric sleeve surgery, a significant portion of the stomach is resected, resulting in a decrease in appetite and the amount of food that can be ingested.

“Obesity has a significant impact on an individual’s life and overall well-being,” says Dr. Pena. “Our goal is to help our patients who are obese achieve better health, experience less comorbidities, take less medications and have a healthier life.”

Six months after having the sleeve gastrectomy, Norha feels like a new person. “I went into the hospital wearing a 2X dress size,” she says. “Six months later I was wearing a medium.”

Beyond the weight loss and reduction in dress size, Norha says she feels healthier. “Just picking something up off the floor is so much easier and no more breathing heavy when I cross the parking lot. For the first time in a long time I feel comfortable in my own skin.”

The Bariatric & Metabolic Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Florida offers a variety of surgical and nonsurgical weight loss options. To find out the right weight management program for you, call to make an appointment: 866.937.1174